Observational Astronomy Useful Links

General Astro Information and data bases

• Sky and Telescope Magazine
• Astronomy Magazine
• Earth and Sky - radio show
• North American Skies
• Skylights - weekly highlights
• IAUC Bulletins - Recent Comet, Supernova, Nova discoveries
• Space Calendar - Upcoming events
• Chronology of Planetary Exploration
• Digitized Sky Survey - Images of the Sky
• Simbad Database
• Calculate local sidereal time
• US Naval Observatory - positions, times, etc.
• General Astronomy Link List
• Astronomy Software - SEDS Website
• Summer Research Opportunities for Undergraduates

Telescopes and other instruments

• Camera and CCD Imaging
• Image Processing Programs - info, links
• Astronomy Photos - check the Tips page!
• High Resolution CCD Imaging
• Amateur Spectroscopy
• EXCELLENT Astrophotography site
• Best Binocular Targets
• Hubble Space Telescope
• NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Keck telescope - Hawaii
• Subaru - Hawaii
• Very Large Telescope - Chile

Planets

• Solar System Simulator - shows views of the solar system from a variety of vantage points
• Maps of Solar System objects
• The Nine Planets - Guide to the Solar System

Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Meteorites

• Near Earth Objects Page
• Near Earth Object Program
• Minor Planet Center - Asteroids
• Asteroid Occultation Predictions
• The American Meteor Society
• Listen to meteor showers online
• Listen to meteor showers online
• ALPO Meteors Section
• Cometography - starting point for information on comets
• Currently visible comets
• Guide to finding comets

Naked Eye Observing

• Atmospheric Optics - halos, rainbows, sundogs, etc.
• Scattering, Outer Atmosphere - gegenschein, aurorae, zodiacal light
• Zodiacal Light and Gegenschein
• Space Weather.com - aurorae warnings, other naked eye observing updates

The Sun

• Solar Observing by Peter Meadows - good for tips
• Zurich-McIntosh System
• Sunspot Numbers - updated monthly
• Daily Sunspot Data - covers last month, includes Sunspot Number
• PDF form for drawing sunspots
• Current Solar Observations
• Current Space Weather
• Mt. Wilson Solar Observatory
• Big Bear Solar Observatory
• Lunar and Solar Eclipse Information

Stars

• Constellations - Hawaii Astron. Soc.
• Constellation (Univ. of Wisconsin)
• American Association of Variable Star Observers
• Gen. Catalogue of Variable Stars
• McMaster Cepheid Data Base
• Galactic Cepheid Data Base
• List of recent bright supernova
• Comprehensive recent supenova list

Nebula and Galaxies

• NASA Extragalactic Database
• The Web Nebulae
• Messier Web site
• Deep Sky Web site
• Interactive NGC/IC/Messier Catalog
• Arp Catalog of Peculiar Galaxies